Said to be one of the finest backs in army football, Bandsman Joe Blacktin signed for Southampton on amateur terms.

“ A hard to beat giant full-back and clean in the tackle,” his goal kicks could reputedly travel the length of the pitch.

His spell at The Dell was brief, thanks to a harsh army rule that barred soldiers who played for professional clubs from taking part in representative or competitive competitions. He made his final appearance for Saints during the club’s 1906 tour, on which an injury sustained in Denmark prevented him from proceeding to the second stage in Prague. Prematurely lost to the professional game, this third-generation soldier returned to army soccer. Awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery during the Great War (see below), he later worked in the postal industry in Birmingham and was listed in the 1939 census as being a postman in Birmingham. His DCM citation read as follows –

“for gallant conduct and devotion to duty on 20/21 October 1914 in rescuing the wounded and attending to them under heavy shell and rifle fire and for fine example shown by him to the stretcher-bearers”.